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. 2015 Dec;13(3-4):156–168. doi: 10.3121/cmr.2015.1289

Table 2.

Heuristics and biases discussed in the text are presented alongside strategies for overcoming the pitfalls inherent to each.

Heuristic Strategies to overcome systemic errors Reference
Representativeness Compare disease with prototypes of the condition; be suspicious when there is not a good match 25
Be aware of relevant prevalence data 25,80
Incorporate discussion of common versus variant cases into educational practices

Availability Seek base rate of a diagnosis
Be aware of external influences in diagnostic process 25

Premature closure Use tests or other exercises to refute diagnosis 25,43
Differentiate working vs. final diagnoses 25

Anchoring Insist on first hearing the “story” rather than someone else’s diagnosis 25,41
Assess all key elements of the case 41
Avoid confirmation and early closure; make point of lab tests to “prove” other leading diagnoses. “Crystal ball” exercise 43

Confirmation Use hypothetical-deductive method to assess value and role of contemplated tests
Try to disprove your diagnosis, consider conditions of higher prevalence 25,43
Stick to institutional protocols or standard methods when applicable 36
Be aware of affective, ethical and social influences
Reaffirm role of intensivist as independent consultant; avoid influence of referring physicians

Unpacking or support theory Be aware that alternate descriptions of the same situation may elicit different estimates of likelihood. 33
Unpack broad categories and compare alternatives at similar levels of specificity

Satisficing Perform secondary searches once it appears the answer is at hand.
Complete standard protocols where applicable. 25

Omission or status quo bias Think of what others would do. Consider existing clinical evidence. 37
Trust intuition: if you thought of it, you should probably do it 25
Try to approach each case as a clean slate, as in de-anchoring